Living body stimulating apparatus

Abstract

A living body stimulating apparatus capable of giving extensive therapeutic effects and softer feeling of stimulation. Rectangular wave pulse groups S containing a plurality of pulse density modulated higher frequency components or on-pulses than a rectangular wave pulse are applied repeatedly from conductor elements 24 to a human body. As a human body has a capacitive impedance, softer stimulation can be applied to the human body as compared with a rectangular wave having the same current and frequency. Furthermore, a pause period between on-pulses is varied by a stimulus generator means 8 , so that a charging current to an equivalent electrostatic capacity of a human body is supplied little by little so as to slowly increase a charged quantity. As a result, cenesthesia of softer stimulation can be obtained.

1. A living body stimulating apparatus for applying an electric stimulus to a living body, said apparatus comprising conductor elements to apply a stimulation signal to said living body by allowing an electric current to flow from the conductor elements to said living body, which comprises: a stimulus generator means for outputting rectangular wave pulse groups repeatedly to said conductive elements as stimulation signals, said stimulus generator means outputting stimulation signals formed by varying the density of a plurality of on-pulses constituting the rectangular wave pulse groups during an output period of said rectangular wave pulse groups, so that said rectangular wave pulse groups defining pulse groups are alternately positive and negative, while the density of said on-pulses gradually increases from a rising edge of the rectangular wave pulse group until about the middle of a predetermined time width thereof and then gradually decreases until a falling edge of the rectangular pulse group. 
   
   
     2. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said stimulus generator means outputs said stimulation signals so that a time width of said rectangular wave pulse group may be at least 100 times wider than that of said on-pulse. 
   
   
     3. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said stimulus generator means is provided with a switching means for generating a rectangular pulse group containing a plurality of higher frequency signal components than the rectangular wave pulse by on-off switching of the rectangular pulse and a pulse density controlling means for supplying PDM digital signals for switching the switching means to the switching means. 
   
   
     4. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein said pulse density controlling means comprises a control sequence installed inside a CPU. 
   
   
     5. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 3 , further comprising a strong stimulation command means for temporarily outputting said rectangular wave pulse of a larger amplitude than a predetermined one. 
   
   
     6. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein said strong stimulation command means comprises a control sequence installed inside a CPU. 
   
   
     7. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a stimulation pause command means for temporarily stopping the output of said stimulation signals. 
   
   
     8. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein said stimulation pause command means can vary a stimulation pause period at random. 
   
   
     9. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein said stimulation pause command means comprises a control sequence installed inside a CPU. 
   
   
     10. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein an amplitude of said rectangular wave pulse can be varied at random. 
   
   
     11. A living body stimulating apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said stimulus generator means outputs the stimulation signals in such a manner that during a time width that is periodically generated, positive rectangular wave pulse groups comprising a plurality of the on-pulses and negative rectangular wave pulse groups comprising a plurality of the on-pulses are alternately generated, and the time width of each on-pulse is kept constant, while a pause period between the on-pulses is varied in each of the positive and negative rectangular wave pulse groups, so that the density of said on-pulses gradually increases approximately corresponding to the amplitude increments of a sine function sine in the range of 0<Ωt<π/2 from a rising edge of the rectangular pulse group until, about the middle of a predetermined time width thereof and then gradually decreases following the inverse order of the above density increments until a falling edge of the rectangular pulse group.